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MATERIALS
Every SENTIENT product is crafted with the most quality-driven and sustainable vegan leather alternatives available, carefully selected to avoid harm to animals, to human health, and to our planet. Our materials contain no animal-derived ingredients.
We launched our vegan leather ready-to-wear and accessories collections using Desserto® cactus vegan leather in 2021.
Where does cactus vegan leather come from?
In the state of Zacatecas in Mexico, Desserto® grows the cacti to create this sustainable and vegan leather in a fully organic plantation, meaning that no pesticides or herbicides are used for its harvest. The cactus plantation is USDA certified.
Sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and climate action
By working with native cacti to the region, the plantation matches biodiversity and blends with wild flora. The harvesting techniques used stimulate the microflora and microfauna in the ground which are maintained without damage, and wildlife like hawks find a favorable environment that provides food.
Irrigation systems are not needed since cacti grow with rain water and earth minerals (which are rich in Zacatecas). The leather’s water footprint is considerably lower than other alternatives and animal leather. It only takes 200 liters to grow one kilogram of cactus biomass with the water that is naturally absorbed by the plant itself from humidity present in the atmosphere.
Finally, cactus is a natural carbon sink, it has a great CO2 sequestering capacity. From the plantation’s 14 acres, 8,100 tons of CO2/year are absorbed, while only 15.30 tons of CO2 are generated annually.
More data on cactus vegan leather
50% of the processed harvest is directed to the food industry benefiting the farm. Two industries can co-exist with a single crop.
Cactus naturally regenerates soil.
Only the mature leaves of the plant are cut without damaging the plant itself, enabling repeat harvest every 6-8 months from the same plants.
It takes approximately 3 leaves of cactus to create one linear meter of Desserto®.